Battle of the sub-$1,000 flagships

• Google Pixel 8

  Our prime choose

  The Google Pixel 8 does an important job of being an “day-after-day” cellphone. It shoots nice pictures, will get good battery life, first rate efficiency for many duties, and it does all of it whereas retaining Google’s long-term software program updates.

• 

  Samsung Galaxy S23

  Higher for software program

  The Galaxy S23, whereas it would not include the Pixel 8’s digital camera suite, is a superb cellphone. The handset packs a stronger processor and nice software program updates, and in lots of respects, matches Google’s efficiency.

It is no secret that smartphones have trended greater and extra complicated over the span of the final decade, and previous few years with the introduction of foldables. Nevertheless, there may be nonetheless area in folks’s hearts and pockets for a smaller smartphone that also works very well. The marketplace for a slim slab nonetheless full of options, Google and Samsung make nice flagship handsets price your consideration and funding.

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In a single nook, there’s the pretty new launched Google Pixel 8, which made its debut in October 2023, and comes with Google’s newest {hardware} and software program. In our evaluation, we praised the cellphone for its wonderful design, nice cameras, and nice show.

Within the different nook, now we have the Samsung Galaxy S23. It launched in February 2023 and is the smallest of all of the Galaxy S23 gadgets, together with the Galaxy S23 FE.

Each telephones are broadly accessible from service shops together with on-line and in-person retail shops. The Galaxy S23 retails for $799, whereas the Google Pixel 8 will run you $699.

• 	Samsung Galaxy S23	Google Pixel 8
  SoC	Snapdragon 8 Gen 2	Google Tensor G3
  Show	5.1-inch, 120 hz, AMOLED 2X	6.3-inch, Actua OLED, 2400 x 1080, 428ppi, 60-120Hz, as much as 2000nits
  RAM	8GB	8GB
  Storage	128GB / 256GB / 512GB	128GB / 256GB
  Battery	3900mAh, 25W wired, 15W wi-fi	4575mAh, 30W quick charging, 12-18W wi-fi
  Working System	Android + One UI	Android 14
  Entrance digital camera	12MP, f/2.2	10.5MP
  Rear digital camera	50MP f/1.8 primary, 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide, 10MP f/2.4 3x optical telephoto	50MP huge + 12MP ultrawide
  Dimensions	70.9 x 146.3 x 7.6mm, 168g	150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm, 187g
  IP Ranking	IP68	IP68

Design

From the entrance, the telephones look pretty related, each that includes rounded rectangular screens with a punch-hole fashion front-facing digital camera within the prime center of the show. Across the again, you begin to see every OEM’s trademark designs. The Galaxy S23 has Samsung’s vertical triple digital camera bump within the prime nook, whereas the Pixel 8 has a digital camera bar that spans horizontally throughout the system.

By way of pure ergonomics, the Pixel 8 is the superior design. Due to its digital camera placement, you may set it down on a desk, and the system will not wobble the place the Galaxy S23 will. Nevertheless, that is a reasonably minor nitpick, however one thing to concentrate on for those who’e not a fan of some slight bulk.

By way of dimension, the Pixel 8 is considerably bigger than the Galaxy S23, with a display screen that’s over an inch bigger. Thus, for those who’re going for the smallest doable flagship, the S23 is the extra cheap reply right here. As a consequence, the Galaxy S23 can also be the lighter smartphone by just a little greater than half an oz or roughly 20 grams.

In terms of general seems, it is a pretty subjective factor. Each of those telephones have good designs which might be good to have a look at. Nevertheless, objectively, the Galaxy S23 is the smaller and lighter of the 2, whereas the Google Pixel 8 has a extra ergonomic design general. With that mentioned, it is a recreation of inches, and neither aspect scores any main wins right here.

Show and audio system

Right here, the 2 telephones begin to go their separate methods. The Galaxy S23 has among the finest AMOLED shows available on the market, with a 1080p, 5.1-inch AMOLED X2 show that’s able to refresh charges as much as 120 Hz and a peak brightness of as much as 1,750 nits. Merely put, it ticks all of the packing containers a premium smartphone show ought to have, and is supplied with nice shade replica, features easily, and is simple to see open air. Samsung has kind of perfected show expertise.

Equally, the Google Pixel 8 additionally delivers in a robust manner. It boasts a 1080p, 6.2-inch OLED show, a refresh charge of as much as 120 Hz, and a pair of,000 nits. It competes favorably with Samsung’s flagship, particularly within the brightness division. It is also an enormous improve from the Google Pixel 7 in nearly each manner. Oh, and the colours look nice on the Pixel 8 as properly.

The massive distinction, although, is the show dimension. The Galaxy S23’s way more pocket-friendly dimension implies that it’s going to enchantment extra to small cellphone fans. The Pixel 8 is not as massive because the S23 Ultra’s 6.8-inch show, however 6.2 inches nonetheless places the Pixel 8 on the bigger aspect of the spectrum.

Thus, the recommendation here’s a bit clearer. Small cellphone followers will just like the Galaxy S23 extra, whereas people who need middle-size or bigger telephones will doubtless be happier with the Pixel 8.

Each telephones make the most of a bottom-firing speaker and the earpiece speaker to provide stereo sound. We’d’ve mentioned the Samsung audio system are higher general a yr in the past, however Google has made some fairly spectacular strides with the Google Pixel 8. Neither speaker system is so a lot better than the opposite that we would suggest one cellphone over the opposite. That mentioned, it’s totally encouraging that each telephones have halfway-decent audio system.

Efficiency and software program

The good factor about each of those gadgets is that each Samsung and Google do a reasonably good job of getting updates to their flagships. As of this writing, each telephones run Android 14, with the Galaxy S23 including One UI 6 excessive. Whether or not or not you like Google’s Android expertise or Samsung’s is a matter of non-public style, however you will not be lacking out on options that include the newest model of Android anytime quickly.

By way of efficiency, issues once more deviate just a bit bit. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 within the Galaxy S23 is the stronger general CPU. You will discover the efficiency distinction for those who’re working the very hardest duties, like rendering video or taking part in a cellular recreation that options ray tracing. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is best outfitted for these types of duties.

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Nevertheless, Google’s Tensor G3 is not any slouch and performs on par with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in most benchmarks. You will nonetheless be capable of play ray tracing video games, render movies, and different intensive duties. It will simply be rather less fast about it than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Google additionally packed in fairly a little bit of AI functionality.

Thus, the Galaxy S23 is measurably higher in all metrics for those who’re on the lookout for the highest-performing system. Nevertheless, for those who’re simply doing on a regular basis stuff or taking part in typical cellular video games, the Tensor G3 will do the duty with out grievance. Easy stuff like scrolling social media, shopping the online, or watching YouTube will really feel nearly similar between the 2 gadgets. It is actually solely probably the most intensive activity the place you may see a distinction.

Cameras

Cameras are a difficult topic. In any case, some folks like purely practical pictures, whereas different folks desire having a little bit of pop and aptitude with their images. Fortunately, each telephones are able to producing some really wonderful pictures in most lighting conditions. Each even have an honest choice of software program tips as properly, however we’ll discuss extra about that in a second.

For {hardware}, Samsung has extra bodily cameras on its system. The Galaxy S23 has a 50MP primary shooter with a 12MP selfie digital camera. Packed alongside these are a 10MP telephoto digital camera with a 3x zoom and a 12MP ultrawide digital camera for a complete of 4 cameras. The Pixel 8 packs a 50MP primary shooter with a ten.5MP selfie digital camera together with a 12MP ultrawide digital camera that doubles because the system’s macro digital camera for a complete of three lenses.

You may see some pictures from the Google Pixel 8 above. All three lenses are able to taking pictures crisp, clear, and colourful pictures. The cameras are additionally able to taking some nice low-light pictures due to Google’s software program magic. You can even do another enjoyable stuff with the Magic Editor, Greatest Take, and Google’s different options. The result’s a best-in-class images expertise regardless of having one fewer digital camera lenses than the Galaxy S23.

Sure, they seem like the identical pictures, however these are literally photos taken with the Galaxy S23 with the intention to evaluate the identical pictures aspect by aspect. The Galaxy S23 takes some really wonderful pictures, particularly for those who like saturation. Samsung contains some software program trickery of its personal, together with a few evening modes, though a few of it, like astrophotography mode, is reserved for the costlier Galaxy S23 Extremely.

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Make no mistake, each telephones take nice pictures. Nevertheless, we consider the Google Pixel 8 pulls out a reasonably clear win between its wonderful {hardware} and world-class software program post-processing. That does not make the S23 dangerous by any stretch, however a winner is a winner.

Conclusion

So, let’s tally up the outcomes and see which cellphone is best. As is the case with most flagships in 2023, a number of it comes down to private preferences, however we are able to draw some strains within the sand. Of us on the lookout for the very best efficiency to do the toughest duties must look no additional than the Galaxy S23. It has probably the most highly effective smartphone CPU in a cellphone that does not have a fruit brand emblazoned on it. With its wonderful digital camera, show, and software program replace pace, the Galaxy S23 is price shopping for.

Nevertheless, we predict the Google Pixel 8 can also be a reasonably darn good smartphone. Sure, you shave some efficiency off the highest, however Google makes up for it by having a greater digital camera system. Thus, we predict it is the higher general cellphone except you particularly want extra horsepower for one thing. It will fly by means of typical duties and has sufficient horsepower to not get left fully within the mud by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It is the one we suggest for most individuals.

Aside from the efficiency, images, and dimension components, these telephones are in any other case neck and neck. Each have OLED shows with excessive refresh charges and excessive peak brightness numbers. Neither cellphone has a headphone jack or a microSD card slot. Each include 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage within the base fashions. The one different actual distinction is worth, and the 2 are separated by solely $100. You may’t make a foul choice right here, however based mostly in your private habits, you need to be capable of choose certainly one of them.